Sania Mirza is now the world's number one ranked doubles player, and that is a remarkable achievement. To put this accomplishment in perspective, consider that Mirza is the first female from India ranked number one in the world in any professional sport and no Indian woman had been ranked in the top 100 before Sania Mirza (she reached…
Arthur Ashe once called Martin Blackman "The next great American champion." Things did not work out as expected for Blackman, as his top junior career did not translate to success on the ATP Tour. Blackman had a short stint on the Tour and was ranked as high as 158th in the world at one point….
The PowerShares series—a senior circuit which includes Grand Slam Champions Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick and Michael Chang—will be playing matches without linesman aided by a chair umpire, Hawk Eye instant replay and unlimited challenges. Currently, when Hawk Eye is used, players are permitted three incorrect challenges per set prior…
Remember the tantrums of the "Tennis Brats" of the 1980s? A new study coming out of Ultrech University in the Netherlands (as well as previous studies done at the University of Southampton in England and Ohio State University) suggests that their bad behavior may have resulted from overindulgent parenting that became popular in the 1960s….
From the files of "I thought I have heard it all," comes the story that former world number one Marcelo Rios has received the backing of the Chilean Tennis Federation to request that the ITF investigate Petr Korda for doping during the 1998 Australian Open. While it's almost comical that Rios believes somehow an investigation will…
I got an e-mail last week from Nate Gross, assistant men's tennis coach at Idaho State University. Nate authored several concise books on charting tennis matches and they are the best of this genre that I have ever read. While these books are user-friendly, accessible and elegant, I have to no intention of using them…
As American tennis re-evaluates it's High Performance programs, specifically its methods of "talent identification" to reclaim a lofty position in the world, it's worth learning from the NFL and four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Brady was the 199th player picked in the 2000 NFL draft. His combine numbers at the time, were the worst ever…
The current era of tennis is defined by power, and that power was on display in Melbourne during the 2015 Australian Open. What was fascinating to me after watching Novak Djokovic defeat Andy Murray for an eighth Grand Slam title is that these players are not the biggest hitters on the tour. The power most prominently…
It's time to pick up the remote and switch from the Travel Channel to the Tennis Channel to dream of basking in hot weather again. Sorry, not sorry but I have little sympathy for those experiencing another "heat alert" in Sydney. It's better than a polar vortex. I'm looking forward to sizzling tennis this year since…
As reported in New York Tennis Magazine (from an ITA press release), the ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Association Operating Committee is re-submitting its dual match format proposal to shorten college tennis matches after a decisive vote, a move explained as "a powerful indication of the group's commitment to adopt creative and innovative measures to enhance the sport of tennis during…