Compelling dynamics for the American men at this year’s U.S. Open, with Andy Roddick losing to Janko Tipsarevic (a match I thought would be tough for him when I first saw the draw) and qualifier 18-year-old Ryan Harrison upsetting No. 15 Ivan Ljubicic, a wily veteran and no easy win for Harrison.  After a strong [...]

On Monday I was back and forth between the Grandstand and Armstrong courts, looking for the Rocky of tennis.  But something occurred to me as I watched the underdogs go down:  In boxing, you always hear about a puncher’s chance.  But in tennis, one great punch is only one point, and to win a best-of-five [...]

Much of the early analysis I heard from the talking heads on ESPN judged Roddick’s draw as favorable to the quarters, but the second round most likely will see him paired up against Janko Tipsarevic, the Serb who knocked him out in the second round of Wimbledon 2008.   Their career record is 1-1, both matches [...]

Most every  article or broadcast preview of the U.S. Open I’ve seen focuses on the obvious questions, as though most tennis journalists are sharing notes– will Nadal win his first Open?  Can Federer reclaim another title?  Is Murray going to cash the U.S. Open Series bonus check for obscene millions and go to Disney World [...]

As soon as I write a post about Americans hoisting trophies in the summer hardcourt tournaments, the news all turns bad.   Roddick, Querrey, Isner and Fish all lose early in Washington. Roddick falls to 11 in the rankings, marking the first time since the ATP rankings began that there are no American men in the [...]

It’s about time the USTA amps up the U.S. Open Series with a real tennis town — Hotlanta.  Good to see Atlanta joined by L.A., Washington and San Diego on there too.  One day we’ll quit making the ATP tour pass through Indianapolis and Cincinnati, towns known more for farm shows and fast cars than [...]

Last year, two American juniors bound for the pro circuit — Devin Britton and Jordan Cox — played an epic three-set semifinal in the boys singles.  Cox, then 17, won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 16-14, the final set lasting 83 minutes (which in the pre-Isner/Mahut days seemed liked a long time). Cox lost in the finals (pictured [...]

6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.
Epic. Unbelievable.  Amazing.  Classy.  Gracious. 
Aces 112 to 103.
Eleven hours, five minutes.

“Even the scoreboard has died,” the announcer on Radio Wimbledon said at 47-games all.  Later, the internet digital scoreboard I was following online flaked out too, unable to post a five in the column that rarely sees a digit, so at 50-50 the score read 0-0.   Ultimately, Georgia Bulldog alum John Isner and Frenchman Nicholas Mahut played to the outrageous score of 59-59  in [...]

First there was the prime-time feature on 60 Minutes last month, and this week a full-length profile by L. Jon Wertheim in Sports Illustrated.  It’s great to see the soon-to-be-best doubles team in the history of tennis getting some recognition.  It has been long overdue, as the media’s attention to doubles has been relatively non-existent.