Category Archives: Grand Slams
Castles Built on Air
French Open, Day One (5) Tsonga d. (Q) Kuznetsov, 1/6 6/3 6/2 6/4 As the French Open’s laborious preparations ground wearily on – adapting Lardner’s famous stage direction, the curtain was raised for seven days to denote the lapse of … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Luck of the Draw: Roland Garros 2012
‘Halle named a street after Federer; Roland Garros just inaugurated a highway after Nadal.’ This cogent line was uttered by Italian journalist Enrico Maria Riva upon surveying the French Open men’s singles draw, which was earlier harvested at a special … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
The Outward Display of Prestige
In the scheme of things, awards ceremonies mean little. That Novak Djokovic won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award tells us nothing about his 2011 season that we didn’t already know, although I suppose more people might now … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour, Grand Slams, ITF
Moments in the Box
At the risk of courting controversy, and in the full awareness that sunstroke may finally have bested my wits, I contend that the coverage of this year’s Australian Open was better than it has been in years. For all that … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
A Matter of Time
The headline-generating topic of the 2012 Australian Open has been noise, specifically the concern that rather too much of it periodically emanates from the shapely throats of several women players. The controversy reached a fevered pitch when two of the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
This is Tennis
Australian Open, Final (1) Djokovic d. (2) Nadal, 5/7 6/4 6/2 6/7 7/5 Insofar as the longest major final in history can have just one defining moment, that moment in tonight’s final arrived with Rafael Nadal serving at 3/4 in … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
The Energy Crisis
Australian Open, Semifinal (Day Twelve) (1) Djokovic d. (4) Murray, 6/3 3/6 6/7 6/1 7/5 If tennis matches had soundtracks – and this is certainly a matter worth lobbying the ITF about – tonight’s semifinal would have to be scored … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
A Question of Judgement
Australian Open, Semifinal (Day Eleven) (2) Nadal d. (3) Federer, 6/7 6/2 7/6 6/4 The winning pattern was clear from the beginning, as it so often is between these two. You go at his backhand hard – press and knead … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
On Inevitability
Australian Open, Quarterfinals (Day Ten) (1) Djokovic d. (5) Ferrer, 6/4 7/6 6/1 (4) Murray d. (24) Nishikor, 6/3 6/3 6/1 David Ferrer, in the press conference following his straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic last night, was asked whether … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Petrushka in Fist Pumps
Australian Open, Quarterfinals (Day Nine) (2) Nadal d. (7) Berdych, 6/7 7/6 6/4 6/3 Serving at 5-6 in the second tiebreaker, Rafael Nadal came within a foot of trailing Tomas Berdych two sets to love. Luckily for the Spaniard, the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams