Jon Wertheim talks with the great jazz pianist and composer Fred Herch on his podcast "Sports Illustrated Tennis Beyond the Baseline" and it's fascinating to hear Mr. Herch parallel tennis and jazz. His first bit of advice is that young pianists, like young tennis players, should learn to "slow down take their time and don't try to…
Jon Wertheim talks with the great jazz pianist and composer Fred Herch on his podcast "Sports Illustrated Tennis Beyond the Baseline" and it's fascinating to hear Mr. Herch parallel tennis and jazz. His first bit of advice is that young pianists, like young tennis players, should learn to "slow down take their time and don't try to…
The U.S. Open is the biggest tennis tournament in the world, and because of that, thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world flock to New York for a couple of weeks at the end of the summer. While the tennis is exciting enough, players and fans alike have an opportunity to visit…
10. The Grounds We bid adieu to the Grandstand, perhaps the best place to watch on the grounds and hello to the completed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium with no more rain outs. 9. The Heat It was hot and humid with a record 12 first round retirements (16 in total). Many matches were affected…
During her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sloane Stephens in the first-round of the U.S. Open on Monday, American Coco Vandeweghe was interviewed by ESPN commentator Pam Shriver following the first set. This was unprecedented, and a lot of people on Twitter, including a number of players, voiced their opinions on the subject. ESPN approached Vandeweghe…
Switzerland teenager Belinda Bencic won the biggest title of her career on Sunday, defeating Simona Halep for the Rogers Cup title. But it was her win on Saturday against Serena Williams in the semifinals, which may have had a bigger impact on the WTA landscape and sent ripple effects throughout the tennis world. Serena entered…
Men's tennis popularity would benefit from the excitement of a new bad boy, but Nick Kyrgios is not yet the man for the job. Kyrgios is too crude, over the top and just not good enough yet to be forgiven by the fans for being a tortured genius. Kyrgios trash-talked Stan Wawrinka during an ATP…
The last American man to win the U.S. Open, Andy Roddick is making a brief and thrilling comeback teaming with another comeback kid, Mardy Fish. Last week, this duo reunited for an exciting quarterfinal fun in the ATP doubles event in Atlanta. Roddick wants to team with Fish in this year's U.S. Open for one…
Roger Federer brought his "A" game to Wimbledon this year. The "Best Player of All-Time" was brilliant at times, but it was not good enough because Novak Djokovic could be "The Toughest Player of All-Time." While Djokovic played solidly most of the match, he served remarkably well at big moments while teetering on the brink,…
Wimbledon has always been a tournament that prides itself on its tradition and its class. The players all required to wear white, and are referred to as “Gentlemen” and “Ladies”, rather than “Men” and “Women. In the 138 years of the tournament, very little has changed. American Coco Vandeweghe and Australian Nick Kyrgios, two passionate…