Category Archives: ITF
A Lack of Trajectory
‘Novak Djokovic fires a massive warning shot across the Australian summer of tennis.’ Thus intoned Channel Ten’s Mark ‘Howie’ Howard, celebrating the world No.1’s dominance by fatally torpedoing a naval metaphor, and perfectly evoking countless high school English classes in … Continue reading
Typically Strange
So far this has been a decidedly strange first week of the season, but that’s nothing unusual. It invariably is, as the flecked rust accrued in the off-season – ‘December’ according to the Gregorian calendar – is frantically scraped and … Continue reading
There Will Be Mud
Mikhail Youzhny yesterday recorded his first career match win over Benjamin Becker in Doha, which would admittedly be of scant interest even to me, if it wasn’t simultaneously the Russian’s 400th career match win over anyone anywhere. One night earlier … Continue reading
Making Mulch
Hopman Cup Tomic d. Haas, 7/6 3/6 7/5 Bernard Tomic tonight defeated Tommy Haas at the Hopman Cup in Perth, in what will likely be adjudged the finest match of the new season, assuming there’s a second and more thorough … Continue reading
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Twenty-Eight Days Later
Olympic Games, Gold Medal Match (3) Murray d. (1) Federer, 6/2 6/1 6/4 As Andy Murray’s fifth and final ace punched vigorously into Centre Court’s temporarily hideous back hoarding, and the fact that he’d now won the Olympic gold medal … Continue reading
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The Stories We Tell
Olympic Games, Day Seven (1) Federer d. del Potro, 3/6 7/6 19/17 My long Friday night was already repurposing itself into a never-ending Saturday morning when Roger Federer commenced the rambling sequence of holds that would ensure his ultimate victory … Continue reading
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Fancy Chances
Olympic Games, Day Six The four semifinalists of the Olympic tennis event have been decided, following a day of men’s quarterfinals almost entirely devoid of drama. None of the four matches extended into a third hour, or a deciding set, … Continue reading
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Believe in the Stars
Olympic Games, Day Four (2) Djokovic d. Roddick, 6/2 6/1 “’Believe in the stars’ . . . It’s like that doesn’t even mean anything anymore.†The disillusioned words of Kenneth Ellen Parcell rang in my ears as Andy Roddick’s celestially … Continue reading
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A Gibbering Wreck
Olympic Games, Day Three My patriotic commitment to follow the planet’s least understated sporting festival in real time was always going to result in total exhaustion eventually, given the cruel decision to stage it ten time zones in the past. … Continue reading
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Anything Can Happen
Olympic Games, Day One Darcis d. (6) Berdych, 6/4 6/4 Giraldo d. Harrison, 7/5 6/3 It didn’t take long for my contention that Tomas Berdych is currently vulnerable in early rounds to be proved correct, although my equally assured conviction … Continue reading
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