The battle for the world’s number two ranking between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and a fired-up Frenchman vying to claim his country’s first men’s singles title since Yannick Noah in 1983, will take to the red clay stage of the French Open on Friday. If Djokovic can beat Nadal, he will move into [...]

I sometimes poke fun at America’s top-ranked player here on my blog (see Travis Bickle’s haircut or Monte Carlo), but I must be honest about part of the motivation behind my occasional needling of Andy Roddick: It is envy — he is the son my mother never had.
He has been her favorite player since he [...]

I sometimes poke fun at America’s top-ranked player here on my blog (see Travis Bickle’s haircut or Monte Carlo), but I must be honest about part of the motivation behind my occasional needling of Andy Roddick: It is envy — he is the son my mother never had.
He has been her favorite player since he [...]

While the Romans rebuild the Italian Open stadium, this year’s feature matches will be played on the smaller Nicola Pietrangeli Court, the scenic arena of all-marble steps surrounded by Michelangelo-esque statues that Mussolini ordered built in 1928.
L. Jon Wertheim has an excellent piece about the court that once was called the Pallacorda in his [...]

While the Romans rebuild the Italian Open stadium, this year’s feature matches will be played on the smaller Nicola Pietrangeli Court, the scenic arena of all-marble steps surrounded by Michelangelo-esque statues that Mussolini ordered built in 1928.
L. Jon Wertheim has an excellent piece about the court that once was called the Pallacorda in his [...]

I don’t have much to say about the story of Andy Roddick’s mohawk other than: “Are you talking to me? I said, are you talking to me?” (Click headline to see the photos.)

I don’t have much to say about the story of Andy Roddick’s mohawk other than: “Are you talking to me? I said, are you talking to me?” (Click headline to see the photos.)

“Camel City,” as Winston-Salem has been known, was home base for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camels, Winstons and Salem Lights.
Once the largest seller of cigarettes in the United States, RJR’s headquarters is still based in its famous tower on Fourth Street. The 25-story building design was the [...]

An octogenarian-aged streak is on the line for the U.S. Davis Cup team starting Friday in Winston-Salem.  Not since 1927, when France’s famed Four Musketeers bested the American team of “Big Bill” Tilden and “Little Bill” Johnston, has the French team won in the U.S.  That 1927 win, in fact, remains the only French victory [...]

A recently announced engagement to swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker has apparently done Andy good.  He won Thursday night for the first time against Roger Federer since 2003, and only the second time in 17 matches, beating him 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3.  Federer lost to Mardy Fish last month.   No word yet if Justing Gimmelstob is planning to come [...]