tennis

It’s the expected versus the unexpected in the 2008 Wimbledon semis. The pairings serve are an appropriate microcosm for the tournament as a whole, where early round chaos was followed by a return to order in the second week of the event. Men's Semifinal: Federer vs. Safin Looking for a sixth consecutive title, did anyone […]

When my sister moved to London last year, I began planning my trip for Wimbledon, 2008. It had always been a dream of mine to have Fish n’ Chips on Henman Hill, and I was finally able to experience my dream. My sister and I arrived at the "queue" at 7am among over 6,000 people, […]

Animal rights group PETA is angry with Wimbledon officials for killing pigeons (as a last resort) to keep them off the courts and away from restaurant tables, but meanwhile odds-makers are ready to protest now that more title contenders have been shot down. In an upset no one saw coming, 2004 titlist Maria Sharapova was […]

Australian Open champion and 2007 Wimbledon semifinalist Novak Djokovic has been unceremoniously dismissed from this year’s Championships by enigmatic talent and Outsports-favorite Marat Safin in the second round, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Of course, the hunky Safin is a two-time Grand Slam winner with the game – if not the temperament – to rival any […]

As a writer for Outsports, I have regular moments of panic when I submit an article and inevitably there is a mistake. Historically, there hasn’t been anything truly major – a type-o here, a misspelling there – yet there is still cause for obsessing. Well, imagine my angst when I realized yesterday that my preview […]

The #6 ranked Andy Roddick sent more than just Rafael Nadal packing, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships Thursday. Roddick revealed in his post-match press conference that he’d parted ways with coach Jimmy Connors, who reportedly broke-up with Andy a week ago to “spend time with his family.” The AP […]

Didn’t we all sense this coming? Yet no one seemed willing to admit it. Novak Djokovic ended Roger Federer’s streak of consecutive Grand Slam finals at ten by dismissing the world number one in straight sets in the Australian Open semifinals. Djokovic will now face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the Aussie Open crown. Both men are […]

Last night, I fell asleep while watching the late coverage of the Australian Open. Daniela Hantuchova, playing the best tennis of her life, was leading Ana Ivanovic 6-0, 2-0 as my eyes grew heavy. Just before drifting off, I had two assumptions: Hantuchova was on her way to her first Grand Slam final and, later […]

The Australian Open men’s semifinals are set and it finally feels as if the real tournament is about to begin. Roger Federer is two wins away from his 13th major victory. By advancing to the semifinals, his number one ranking should be safe regardless of the weekend's outcome, allowing him to focus on the immediate […]

At the start of the Australian Open, the hype centered around the three players who won Grand Slam titles in 2007: Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams. Shockingly, all three women were eliminated in the quarterfinals. It seems not so long ago that the Williams sisters were raising the bar in women's tennis, unbeatable […]

The Australian Open has seen several prominent players dismissed early during the first week of play: Former Grand Slam champions Marat Safin, Amelie Mauresmo, Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova have all been unceremoniously shown the exit. Roger Federer, meanwhile, has advanced to the fourth round, but only barely after a narrow defeat of […]

It’s hard to believe that the last man not named Federer or Nadal to win a major championship was Marat Safin, the enigmatic Russian with an explosive game and personality who won the Australian Open in 2005. That run to the title included a five-set win over Roger Federer in the semifinals that saw Safin […]

When rumors began to swirl that Martina Hingis was set to end her two-year return to professional tennis, few who know the game were surprised. After a brilliant comeback in 2006 that saw her rocket back into the women’s top ten, Hingis’s results began to slip in 2007 as power players adjusted to her cerebral […]

Novak Djokovic succumbed to his nerves in the crucial moments of his first Grand Slam final tonight, letting five set points slip away in the opening set and wasting another two set points in the second set. Ultimately, it was top-ranked Roger Federer who played his best when it mattered most, defeating his 20-year-old Serbian […]

Justine Henin won her second U.S. Open and seventh major title this evening with an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 dismissal of Svetlana Kuznetsova. Henin won the title without dropping a set, a remarkable accomplishment given that she had to defeat Serena and Venus Williams in succession just to reach the final. Henin, who also won the […]

World number one Justine Henin will face off against the 2004 U.S. Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, to decide who will claim the 2007 ladies’ crown. Kuznetsova overcame nerves and windy conditions to oust an equally tight Anna Chakvedatze in the first semifinal match before Henin, the French Open winner in June, took the court against […]

The tennis in the men's draw at the U.S. Open continues to astound. There have been riveting five-setters and shocking upsets. In contrast, last night's quarterfinal between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick lasted only the minimum three sets and the result was as expected; however, the quality and drama that played out was nothing short […]

In January, Serena Williams entered the Australian Open unseeded and disregarded, only to emerge as champion. She blitzed the field en route to the title and began openly talking about winning the Grand Slam; that is, taking all four major titles in tennis over the course of a single calendar year. Serena has already won […]

You may be struggling to get your rhythm back after returning from a holiday weekend, but the action at the U.S. Open has refused to stop for even a moment. The women's quarterfinals are set. Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova should now be the favorite to reach the final from the bottom half of the draw; […]

Before composing my U.S. Open preview for Outsports, I checked the draw and it seemed like defending champions Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova would face precious little resistance before the final rounds of the tournament. My preview ended up revolving around a theme of "expect the expected," and I could not be more thrilled to […]