In tennis news, Rafa Nadal took a fall on what he complained was a slippery line on the clay of Center Court at Rome’s Foro Italico. It did not stop him from winning the first set 7-5. He seemed out…
The man they call the king of clay, with close to two decades of evidence to back them up, won the Barcelona Open for the 12th time on the court that bears his name last week by slugging it out…
Some happy news in dismal times: Gael Monfils proposed to Elina Svitolina, promising a wedding in a few months and congratulations across the low-key, by pro-sports standards, tennis world for a unit that is deservedly popular with both fans and…
With Naomi Osaka’s quick dispatch of Jenny Brady in the women’s final of the Australian Open tennis tournament for her fourth major, the top of the men’s draw was hugely anticipated. As competitive nail-biter it flopped, but it showed Novak…
Naomi Osaka beat Su-Wei Hsieh in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open because she overpowered her opponent with a game plan devolved from the style of Serena Williams, the finest player of the age and Miss Osaka’s idol since she…
Iga Swiatek made short shrift of Camila Giorgi on the John Cain court at Melbourne Park, somewhat less short shrift of Fiona Ferro a couple days later on the Margaret Court court. You see in the progress of the 19-year-old…
It is okay to vary routines, so long as they do not undercut the goal, which is to stay warm, fit, and stupid. Roger’s Own Remedy is case in point, seeing as how the variations have a pernicious way of…
We were approaching the last weekend of October when Oumi, my better half — better three-quarters, Mr. Thornberry reminds me — took a dive. She has an important job keeping people supplied with health and other basics, and also she…
Before the French Open started, experts assembled by Tennis magazine, including the assiduous historian Steve Flink, gave the tournament to Novak Djokovic over Rafael Nadal by four to three; the magazine’s editor, Steve Tignor, whose bias tends toward tradition, demurred…
