Novak Djokovic defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon to become the No. 1-ranked men’s player, a position he has held — on and off, mostly on — for 10 years. Sourcehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/5935139063/ — Novak Djokovic defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon to become the No. 1-ranked men’s player, a position he has held — on and off, mostly on — for 10 years. **Source**https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/5935139063/

Novak Djokovic and 'the courage to continue'

August 29, 2021

On Monday, Aug. 30, Novak Djokovic begins his quest to win the US Open and thus the Grand Slam — holding all four Slams (including the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon) in one calendar year. Only two other men have done it (Don Budge in 1938 and Rod Laver in ’62 and ’69), along with three women (Maureen Connelly in ’53, Margaret Court in ’70 and Steffi Graf in 1988, the year after Djokovic was born). Graf remains the only person to win the Golden Slam — the Grand Slam and the Olympic gold medal that year.

Going for the (tarnished) gold -- our ambivalence to the Olympics

July 25, 2021

Well, the 2020 Summer Olympics have finally arrived in Tokyo. Let the naysaying games begin.

Once again we’ve heard about the tyranny of the International Olympics Committee, which is more interested in maintaining its power and money than in the athletes it purports to represent; nations trying to medal in the game of under-the-table bribery in a bid for host city status; boycotts by politicians and other world leaders, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, miffed by a remark made by a Japanese diplomat; and the usual weird Olympic village stuff, like the recyclable, cardboard beds that were thought to deter any extracurricular nooky by the athletes. (As if anything could deter people from having sex, as a world population of 7.7 billion can attest.)

Ole, Nole: Novak Djokovic wins the elusive French Open

June 5, 2016

Congratulations to Novak Djokovic, who finally won the French Open on his 12th attempt, defeating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 Sunday at Roland Garros in Paris.

“It’s a very special day, perhaps the biggest moment of my career,” Djokovic said in French to the Parisian crowd. The win made him the eighth man in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam and the third man, behind Don Budge and Rod Laver, to hold all four Slam singles titles at once. (Budge and Laver, of course, did it in a calendar year, Laver twice – the last time 47 years ago.)

Murray, who has played his friendly rival since their junior days and is a week older, was classy in defeat. “This is his day today,” the No. 2 seed said. “What he’s achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal.” ...

The elusiveness of the Triple Crown, Grand Slam

May 23, 2016

Still getting over Nyquist’s loss to Exaggerator at the Preakness. I know, he’s just an animal, I have no connection to him but still…We take these creatures into our hearts, don’t we? Did he peak too soon? Possibly. You’re undefeated, you’re that much closer to losing. Nobody wins forever, but the good news is that nobody loses forever either. Congrats to Exaggerator and it’s on to the Belmont Stakes. Here’s wishing Nyquist a career like California Chrome’s. Indeed, here’s wishing all the horses continued safe success. ...

Summer reading – tennis’ (and humanity’s) ‘Terrible Splendor’

August 14, 2015

Tennis is a game of doubles. In the Hitchcock thriller “Strangers on a Train,” the tennis star must confront and overcome his murderous doppelgänger. In Woody Allen’s “Match Point,” the tennis pro is his murderous doppelgänger.

In Nijinsky’s ballet “Jeux,” the male tennis player is involved with two women.

Marshall Jon Fisher’s juicy 2009 book “A Terrible Splendor” (Three Rivers Press) offers a very different pas de trios. ...

A wide-open French Open

May 23, 2015

Who will it be? The once and future king (Rafael Nadal) or the kid bro all grown up and in the driver’s seat (Novak Djokovic)? The maestro (Roger Federer) or the Murrah (Andy Murray)?

One of the new guys perhaps – the teen dream (Borna Coric) or the princes in waiting (Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios, Grigor Dimitrov)? Or will one of the vets (Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, David Ferrer) flash the old brilliance?

This year the French Open, which starts Sunday, May 24 and ends Sunday, June 7, is both Novak Djokovic’s to lose and anybody’s guess. There are several factors at play here.

Nine-time winner Rafa is seeded only sixth, thanks to a dismal season. (He would’ve been seeded seventh but an injured Milos Raonic dropped out.)

Wimbledon seeds according to the player’s performance on the surface (grass), not based on his ranking. So last year Nole was No. 1 even though at the time he was ranked No. 2.

But Wimby is Wimby. The French Open seeds according to the rankings and, even before the draw came out, you just knew that Rafanole – as their rivalry is known – would be renewed. Sure enough, they are set up to meet potentially for the 44th time in the quarterfinals, with one of them set potentially to meet Andy in the semis.

Meanwhile, Feddy would appear to have the easier path to the final but not so fast. There are people on his side of the draw like Berdych, Gael Monfils and even countryman Stan Wawrinka who could prove nettlesome.

So there are lots of questions:

Can Andy continue his sparkling play on clay?

Can Fed continue to dazzle at age 33?

Can Rafa recapture the magic in Roland-Garros, site of nine of his 14 Slam titles? ...