Loving the Sinner

 This post has been percolating for well over a year, but due to busyness, laziness, and a little fear of criticism, I've let these thoughts swirl exclusively in my mind and nowhere else. Until this tweet:

Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.

I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022! pic.twitter.com/e688iSO2d4

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2022

"Oh boy, here we go..." was my first reaction. Naturally, all hell broke loose very shortly after.

By now, we are all aware of the international crisis that is Novak Djokovic's visa status and quasi-confinement shortly after touching down in Melbourne, putting his Australian Open campaign in grave danger and at the hands of the Australian Border Force, who seem determined to turn him away at the literal gate. Tennis Australia has mishandled completely botched the exemption process by not communicating honestly with players and attempting to skirt federal authorities, although it is becoming increasingly apparent that Novak and AO Tournament Director Craig Tiley were in cahoots. Politicians in the country see the Djokovic drama as easy pickings for cheap PR points. Australian media has used this story as ratings fodder, understandably so. It's all about Novak right now Down Under. But I will use this space to make it about ME.

I became a fan in 2007. I wasn't following tennis super closely at the time, but I thought Djokovic’s runs to the Rogers Cup title and US Open final that year were incredibly impressive. I also found him entertaining in the way buttoned-up Roger Federer and by-the-book Rafael Nadal weren't. He wears his heart on his sleeve when he plays and, juxtaposed with his technically pristine play style, I gravitated towards him, the first male tennis player I really, really enjoyed, probably ever.

As his star rose and achievements mounted, along came some unsavory... happenings. Some small and petty enough to disregard completely. Some more significant in which I either acknowledged his recklessness privately or played the role of Novak apologist on Twitter. Recently, the incidents are of such consequence that I’d wish he’d just go away for awhile and only show his face on the tennis court, wanting him to shut up and dribble in the truest sense. Should I even be cheering for him between the lines at this point?

--

Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson wrote a book that talks sports fandom, personal politics, and reconciling what it means to be caught in the middle of those two pillars. What do you do with a problematic fave or when your fave does a problematic thing? I’ve learned that it really depends on each person’s tolerance for any specific wrongdoing. Each person has their own scale and can weigh the good and the bad at their own discretion. You can apply your code of ethics how you want, with varying levels of severity, with whatever metrics you choose. You are your own judge, jury, and executioner, and it only has to make sense to you.

As far as my own fandom as it pertains to Novak, I guess it’s still evolving because I did like him. Still do. I think. It’s complicated. I like him most when he's playing or being charitable, and I like him least when he's embroiled in scandal. I definitely do not like him at the moment. I think I’ve landed in a place where I still want him to play, win, and achieve, but I have offloaded all emotional investment in his future after tennis. This is subject to change, of course. Maybe I’ll never root for him on the court again, though I don’t foresee a time where I’ll ever actively root against him.

Back when I was closer to “stan” level, I would’ve wished him the best life outside the court, kept up with his post-tennis pursuits, and hoped a statue of his liking was erected in the heart of Belgrade. It is natural for vestiges of "standom" to linger and it's probably the reason why I have yet to give him the total chop. I’ve outgrown stanning anyone not named Mariah Carey these days (it begins and ends with her!), so I won’t be too affected if and when Djokovic’s legacy is completely tarnished following this unnecessary mess.

But I’m still sad about this mess. To be clear, not sad for Novak: he is a very rich and successful person with an adoring family and following who will remain a very rich and successful person with an adoring family and following when this week is a mere speck in the rear-view window. I am sad for me, as I was looking forward to watching him go for history at his best tournament. I am sad that I just want him to leave Australia, go home, apologize, hide for a few months, and learn SOMETHING from this embarrassment (fat chance). I am sad for his other fans — some of whom I've gotten to know and most of whom are decent people — who enjoyed watching him play and likely won’t get to. And I am sad he is too brainless and hubristic to get a virtually harmless jab that would have avoided all of this.

Serena's Burden

What could it take for me to resurrect a blog and post for the first time in well over a year? Well, only one of the most controversial Grand Slam finals in history.

To very briefly summarize what made Saturday's match into Monday's headlines: Naomi Osaka, 20-year-old rising star, and Serena Williams, the greatest to ever play, were entrenched in a battle for the U.S. Open title. The first set was very much one-way traffic in Osaka's favor, but the second set was a significantly more contested affair. Unfortunately, what could have been a scintillating tussle on the court was heavily marred initially by a code violation warning for coaching given to Team Williams (quick aside: Patrick Mouratoglou's lack of subtlety alone should be a fireable offense). A break advantage to Williams was immediately offset by a poor service game, provoking a racquet smash in frustration and earning Serena another code violation - this time docking her a point in the next game. Furious with umpire Carlos Ramos over the first one, Serena repeatedly badgered the chair, culminating in calling him a "liar" and a "thief." While not exactly the world's most offensive insults one can levy against another, any disparagement on the integrity of an official is considered verbal abuse. Serena, down 3-4*, earned her third code violation and incurred a game penalty.

It was a heartbreaking catastrophe. Serena, in tears as she appealed to U.S. Open tournament referee Brian Early, looking utterly despondent. Naomi, confused at the circumstances, trying to remain focused amidst the chaos. Ramos, unmoved and unreadable, remained firm in his rulings. I've never seen a match quite like it, and my eyes were wet with emotion from the moment Osaka sealed her victory all the way through the end of the trophy ceremony. As murky as the circumstances were, there was no disputing that the better player won that day, one of the only undeniables in an ocean of ambiguity. I came away from that match going over what-if scenarios, thinking of Osaka's toughness, Ramos's rigidness, Serena's inability to get out of the weeds, causing her normally rock solid mentality to crumble under the weight of enormous expectation.

--

As we learned from her eponymous documentary, being Serena Williams is incredibly challenging. Tending to a young toddler, managing a long-distance marriage, and returning to the top of a demanding sport are difficult enough endeavors on their own. Imagine doing all three while also being the pillar of strength for black women around the world and working moms everywhere. I do not envy Serena's position one bit.

One of Billie Jean King's signature quotes is "pressure is a privilege." Serena often goes back to this whenever she feels bogged down the weight of expectation. But in the most critical match of her current comeback, you can feel that weight pressing down on her more than usual. Serena absolutely wants this, she wants to erase Margaret Court from the record books, be one of the few moms to win a major title. She alluded to her motherhood during her runner-up speech after the Wimbledon final back in July, tearing up when she mentioned trying to win this "for all the moms out there." While arguing her coaching violation with Ramos, she said she would never want her daughter to think she would ever resort to cheating in order to gain an advantage. In her protestations to Early, she brought up unequal levels scrutiny levied upon her male counterparts.

Serena is carrying these burdens on the court with her. The U.S. Open is particularly heavy given Serena's history at the tournament, so it's no wonder she became emotional at what seemed to be unfair treatment. As a fan, I hope Serena can play high stakes matches less encumbered. I want her to be able to swing freely, move beautifully, and think clearly during the most pressure-packed moments. I wish for her to remain calm through adversity and positive through patchy spells. 

Serena is a magnanimous individual, but tennis is a selfish sport by nature. It's just you and your own faculties out there, not worrying about things outside of your control, including the opponent across the net. Naomi even said she was "focusing on [her]self" throughout the dramatics of the final, ignoring the jeers from the crowd and turning her back on Serena and Ramos in order to maintain clarity. Serena said as much during her press conference: her times on court are rare "moments of peace" she has just for her. I truly wish they will be more so in the future, because there seemed to be a good deal turmoil swirling inside her head during U.S. Open final. It's still quite early in her comeback, but I look forward to an unburdened Serena smashing serves, records, and barriers as she has done throughout her entire career.

 For now, take a bow, Naomi Osaka. Here's to her future, too!

Congrats to Naomi Osaka! I can’t stop laughing at this though #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Kl3HuMbTJY

— surfer808 (@mssurfer808) September 8, 2018

Bernie the Bored

Bernard Tomic is back in the headlines again, and not for his tennis. Again. Well, his tennis has a minor role in his resurgence into public consciousness, but his words, as usual, are the primary culprits in this new wave of outcry and backlash.

After his first-round Wimbledon loss to Mischa Zverev in straight sets, Tomic aired his feelings regarding his performance to the world, telling reporters he was "bored" on court. Moving past the cringe-worthy word choice, listen to (most of) the rest of his weirdly introspective and existential post-loss press:



Listen, I get it. Bernie is a human being, a pragmatic 24-year-old individual in the midst of a career crisis. I was once his age, not sure where my career was going, wondering if the daily grind on the road to success was even worth the struggle. Hell, I'm still there! I can understand that he no longer sees Wimbledon as this holy grail that us common tennis folk revere beyond anything else in the sport. To Bernie, The Championships is just another tournament in which to earn a decent paycheck. Like your performance review, it's on your calendar year after year. Unless you go into Wimbledon with a shot at the title, the magic of the place has probably long dissipated and you naturally tune out of the whole spectacle.

On the other hand, I do not get, nor do I accept, his willful throwing of the towel. Bernard Tomic has been blessed with height, coordination, feel, and frame. He has been granted financial support and various opportunities in his life and profession. This amount of luck only comes to a handful of the global population, yet he goes through the motions as if he's working a 9-to-5 desk job just to pay the bills and treat himself every now and then (even though that's also something to be thankful for!). Tomic has been a professional athlete for quite some time now and he must know that saying he's bored, and playing like he couldn't care less, is just not a good look for someone who, although faces trials and tribulations, is blessed beyond measure.

As much as we want to relate to tennis players and their lives, we are not them. They are not us. Bernie's job is not my job. Bernie lives a mostly charmed life, even relative to his fellow tennis pros. He's paid quite handsomely for someone who's bored at work and can retire at 35 and not work another day in his life, according to him. I appreciate his honesty and introspection, but I roll my eyes at the utter lack of gratitude and awareness of just how goddamn lucky he is to be born with a money-generating talent and to have that talent cultivated from a young age onward.

It seems as though Bernie knows where he's going astray, however. He knows he's not training as hard or giving his total focus to his career. He could, and should, do better. Yes, he is unlikely to win a Grand Slam title, but he could look to someone like Tomas Berdych for some light inspiration. Berdych is seen as a total underachiever with few trophies to his name, but he's made so much bank in his career by getting as close to maximizing his God-given talent as he could. The seemingly disenchanted Tomic can do the same, if only to beef up his 401K. If Tomic tried harder, even if he didn't want to win titles, he would make more money more quickly, and can retire even earlier than originally planned! I just pray he doesn't get injured or else he might have to page through the classifieds ten years from now.

Edit: Tomic has since been fined $15,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from his comments. He has also been dropped by his racquet sponsor, Head.

Parent Trapped

Young American and ATP #NextGen elite, Taylor Fritz, scored the biggest win of his barely-off-the-ground career, beating No. 7 Marin Cilic (who's been riding the struggle bus as of late) at Indian Wells on Sunday night. I was sound asleep when this happened and missed the post-match chatter on Twitter, but it was certainly abuzz throughout the weekend after 19-year-old Fritz revealed on Friday how his personal life milestones have, or have not, affected his tennis. 

Well, that's one take on parenthood I guess. pic.twitter.com/ikjt8hjluc

— Matt Trollope (@MattyAT) March 11, 2017

Well then. What was supposed to be, I assume, a cute miscellaneous question about being a recent first-time parent turned into how none of it has affected his tennis whatsoever. I won't lie: I initially balked at Fritz's absentee approach to fatherhood. The quotes as a standalone are astonishing, to put it kindly. He lumped in his new baby, a human being for whom he is responsible, in with the "off-court stuff" that his wife takes care of on his behalf. He quotes read as if he is unnaturally detached from his son. 

That said, I do want to caution being overly critical of Taylor, at least for the time being. I'm one of the last people to defend a straight, white, male American tennis player, but Fritz is 19 years old. Nineteen. He is a boy, legality be damned. A boy with very adult responsibilities. Adult responsibilities he's had very little time to prepare for. Let's look at this rough timeline:

1. May 30, 2016: gets engaged to girlfriend, fellow tennis player Racquel Pedraza
2. July 7, 2016(!): Fritz and Pedraza are wed in California
3. January 20, 2017(!!): Fritz and Pedraza welcome newborn son

That's a lot for anyone of any age to handle, let alone for someone who still can't purchase a Bud Light. It's a peculiar sequence of events in such short succession. Also peculiar is the lack of tweets about the new baby from Taylor or Racquel. No one can possibly know what the deal is with the Fritz family, and that's why I'm going to refrain from much comment outside of the hilarious tweet below.

Taylor Fritz raising his child pic.twitter.com/MoGIe40trk

— garbae muguseless (@IdemoAna) January 17, 2017

Even if things are peachy keen in his home life, Fritz is still a tennis professional. Tennis players are almost required to be unbelievably selfish with their time and schedules. Taylor hasn't taken a tournament off since the birth of his son, so maybe he really hasn't had much time to see him. Fritz already banked $121,170 in prize money this year, so the baby will be well-fed at the very least and maybe the money is worth the sacrifice of not being a hands-on dad to their son for Taylor and Racquel.

(Footnote: Fritz lost his third round match today against Malek Jaziri.)

Kick Rocks, John Isner

#GodBlessAmerica

— John Isner (@JohnIsner) January 20, 2017

Fuck you, John Isner.
Fuck your boring, ill-fitting kits.
Fuck your equally boring tennis.
Fuck your serve.
Fuck you for beating Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon.
Fuck your respectability politics.
Fuck your privilege.
Fuck your self-centered, underachieving, lumbering, saggy ass.
Fuck your inability to empathize with anyone who isn't a straight, white, cis-gender male.
Fuck your Twitter account.
Fuck the Carolina Panthers.
Fuck this notion that you voted for the best candidate and not for a pussy-grabbing, racist, sexist pathological liar in a dusty wig.
Fuck everyone who roots for you.
Fuck your whole family, Jizzner.

While I'm at it: fuck you, Tennys Sandgren. Fuck you, CoCo Vandeweghe. Fuck you, Sam Querrey.

And fuck you forever, Ryan Harrison.

Mind Games

Roland Garros is underway and the big story (once again) is Novak Djokovic's quest to complete the Career Slam. An inaugural title run in Paris would be made extra special as Novak would also hold all four major titles, a feat he can completely call his own when compared to his legendary contemporaries in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. As it has been for the last several years, there will be a lot of eyes and tons of pressure on Novak to finally check this last Grand Slam box.

All vodka, no soda | BusinessInsider.com

The lead-up to this year's French Open has not been a particularly glowing one for Nole. He was lackadaisical and mostly listless in his stunning defeat at the hands of Jiri Vesely in Monte Carlo, and though he won Madrid relatively free of great drama, he was cantankerous and, at times, downright volatile throughout his entire Rome campaign and went down rather meekly, if not quietly, to a now formidable clay court threat in Andy Murray. 

After the uproar regarding his behavior at the Italian Open calmed down, questions about the state of the World No. 1 began to surface. Was the unbreakable Djokovic cracked? Are the yet-to-be-exorcised demons of previous French Opens rearing their heads to terrorize Novak during this most critical juncture of his season?

We can't really answer those queries until we see him play under pressure in Paris. For the time being, however, let's consider these:

1. Novak Djokovic is well-aware of what is at stake at Roland Garros. He's been through this many times at this point. Anxiety is nearly the only emotion he knows when it comes to this damn tournament, meaning he is well-aware of how to navigate his feelings.
2. Novak understands that he cannot come to Paris with any negative energy. Mental preparation is an edge he has over everyone else in the game today. I would bet that he purposely attempted to leave all his doubts, fears, and worries at the Foro Italico so he is able to arrive at the French Open with clarity.
3. Novak is still, far and away, the best player on the planet. When he is playing well, there isn't anyone who can touch him. Rafa can attest to that given their match in Doha. Andy experienced peak Nole for a set in Melbourne. They know that they must bring their absolute best and hope that Djokovic is suboptimal when he faces either one of them. Granted, both Nadal and Murray are playing better tennis than they were in January, but Novak should feel comfort in knowing he has beaten both in succession here in Paris last year (and he must be further comforted knowing there won't be another match after should he pull off the feat again this year!).
4. Most relevant of all in my opinion, Novak has a really good draw. He easily dispatched Rendy Lu in the first round, and the rest of his path seems quite unobstructed through to the semifinals. If all goes accordingly, he should find himself in the final weekend with plenty of physical and mental gas left in the tank.

Every year something happens to Novak in this damn tournament. Whether it be losing his balance into the net on a crucial point, an unsettled stomach on finals Sunday, or unfortunately timed weather suspensions, the unknown is Djokovic's biggest threat to Roland Garros glory. Still, I have faith that, just this one time, fate will be kind to Nole throughout the entire two weeks and he will finally win this goddamn tournament. Goddamnit.

New Season's Resolutions

Happy 2016, y'all! We are 14 days into the New Year, but it's never too late to think up some New Year's Resolutions or, better yet, 2016 goals that one can strive to achieve during this revolution around the big, bright, reddish-yellow orb of which we are so dependent sun. I have a list of general goals I would like to achieve this year (e.g. read more books), but I also have a couple of tennis-related items that would make me a better fan this year and in the years to come:

Resolution: never miss the drama
(Daily Mail | @WTAreactions)

• Organize Twitter - I deeply apologize for invading your mentions with quizzical notifications about being added to some random list, but one of my goals for the past few years was to organize my timeline and I'm forcing myself to get around to it this year. Parsing out certain segments of Tennis Twitter is already realizing benefits: I can get the latest goings on of Novak Djokovic and enjoy the Nole love bubble on one list, see what the journos are reporting on another, and curate the fun tweets from my favorite Tweeters without having to sift through the TL hay to find those lovely needles. I also find myself on Twitter less now that I know I can always go back and find the important tweets that I may have missed.
• Plan sleep - This is especially important this Australia swing for those of us in the States and Europe. FOMO is a major pandemic within the hardcore tennis fan community. With most tennis throughout the year playing outside of my timezone, I often find myself staying up until WTF o'clock in the morning or waking at ungodly hours to watch the matches I have circled on the Order of Play. None of this is good for my day-to-day life. Instead of getting involved in a marathon of matches, I need to pick my spots and understand that I'm just not gonna catch everything. Whatever I do miss, I can get a succinct recap by consulting one of my lists!
• Watch more challengers/juniors - Since streams are available for the ATP Challenger Tour and certain USTA junior events, I have little excuses to ignore this echelon of the sport. I've been spoiled by high-quality tennis from some of my favs, so this may be a difficult one for me to follow through on. Still, it would be beneficial to keep track of the young or obsolete talents at the lower levels of the game just to say "I saw them first" when they breakout on the main stage of the tour.

What tennis resolutions do you have this year? Let me know with a comment or a tweet! Hope you're all ready for the Australian Open - should be crazy.

(p.s. Year of the Gentleman is still a tough album, so underrated.)

Comparing Contrasts

Winning so much makes you wanna dance | Getty

Novak Djokovic has just capped the greatest year of his career, and one of the best single seasons ever, by winning the ATP World Tour Finals for a fourth(!!!) consecutive year and fifth time overall. Official stats are just a little ridiculous and speak very loudly for themselves. 82 match wins against 6 losses, 11 total titles, three majors, six Masters, a finalist in every event he entered bar the very first of his year (and least significant on his schedule) in Doha. The ageless Djokovic, unaffected by the effects of passing time, has evened up the head-to-head with his two weathered yet legendary contemporaries in the geriatric Roger Federer and the rapidly graying Rafael Nadal.* Novak himself called his 2015 all but perfect.

I'd rather not waste time getting into the growing-more-moot-by-the-minute argument whether it was the best season in men's tennis history, but I would like to debunk an idea that fans and pundits have (or maybe it's 'had' at this point, either way) about Serena Williams putting together a more accomplished season than Novak. Serena had history on the line until the eleventh hour by winning the first three majors of the year and coming agonizingly close to completing the calendar-year Grand Slam. She's the one who will get the public support for SI Sportsman of the Year, deservedly so. Hers is the season we will remember more out of the two, not Novak's. All very fair, it's inarguable, really. 

However, what's not fair to Novak is letting all quantifiable evidence fall by the wayside. No argument is needed here: compare Djokovic's stats above to Serena's 2015 results and there is no doubt that Novak had a more successful run from January through November, playing a full schedule, winning damn near everything, and contending in the final for everything else. At a very quick glance, Serena's results can be classified as quizzical. Only eight tournaments of which she played through in it's entirety, a far cry from her 82-match, 15-tournament 2013 (which is, for my money, the best season Serena has ever had).

While I say all of that, I can't help but wonder what it would've been like if Novak won the French Open. Would he have been able to deal with that kind of pressure? Would his run at the CYGS make Serena breathe easier coming down the stretch in Flushing Meadows? If Serena lost at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, it's almost absurd to assume she doesn't win the U.S. Open, her most successful Slam, right? And she would obviously remain motivated to go to Beijing and Singapore and reassert her dominance there, too...right? We really don't know, so it's best to not compare these two extremely different seasons against each other at all. We haven't seen a season like this in a long time, one which one man and one woman rule their respective tours simultaneously. Yet the seasons Novak and Serena each had were so far apart from the other's, both incomparable in their own ways.


*shade

The Bleeping Venus Williams

Bow down to Queenus | via instagram.com

"She thinks she's the fucking Venus Williams."

Oh, Irina Spirlea, you had no idea how prescient your statement would be. The Fucking Venus Ebony Starr Williams has catapulted back into the year-end Top 10 after winning the Zhuhai Elite Trophy, all the way up to No. 7 in the world.

Number seven. Wut.

If you have been following the life and times of Venus Williams the past few years, you know that this is a big deal for her. Since announcing she was diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto-immune disorder that affects her energy levels, Venus has been clawing her way back to where she left off in early 2011. In the early stages of this most recent rebirth, she's stated her desire to be alongside her sister as the two players to beat in the ladies' game once again, a place they've been numerous times in the past two decades. Most, myself included, did not think this was a feasible goal for her, but as Venus stated, she had the support of her team and family and mustered enough belief in herself to get back to where she thinks she belongs.

2015 was a season hijacked by Serena Williams. She's been the story, the one we all watched, the one who commands every bit of our attention. That's been the case for 13 years, often at the expense of Venus. Funnily enough, Venus took center stage this autumn when Serena ceded the spotlight after her demoralizing semifinal stumble at the U.S. Open. Venus herself was only ranked No. 24 after the final Slam of 2015, but she picked up quite a bit of momentum from that quarterfinal result. Venus went over to China and started her crusade at The Championships, Wuhan, winning her biggest title since Dubai in 2010. That run had the unfortunate side effect of a sluggish second-round loss in Beijing, a critical tournament for her Singapore dreams. Still, she was safely qualified for Zhuhai, the third place match to Singapore's trophy match. something that was not anything of a guarantee before the Asian swing.

Silently judging you like pic.twitter.com/imFnzMtrli

— WTA Reactions (@WTAreactions) September 11, 2015

Many players who qualified for the event decided it wasn't worth the trip. Not Venus. She saw her opportunity to get back into the Top 10, as well as significantly increase her chances at landing a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in Rio, and she would not leave this stone unturned. She runs through her path which included big hitting youngsters Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova - two players who could be considered to be molded in the style of Venus Williams. Venus conquers them both anyway.

2015 saw the bulk of Venus's successes come mostly away from public view. I have to assume this is exactly how she'd like it. While her sister received all kinds of accolades from every corner, Venus stood back and went about her business. Serena has an (almost literal) army of diehard fans; Venus has the universal respect and admiration. Serena is dubbed the black feminist icon; Venus continues to silently boycott Indian Wells. As someone who took to Venus first, it irks me that Venus's accomplishments, especially off of the court, go unrecognized. But she probably doesn't mind. She doesn't need others to tell her that she's done a good job. She already knows what she achieved and what it took to get her the things she wants. All the recognition The Fucking Venus Williams will ever need comes from herself.

Goodbye, Grantland

It really was (via Grantland.com)

While we were all preparing our scariest and most revealing Halloween garb, Grantland, the sports and culture site founded in 2011 by epochal sports personality Bill Simmons, was shut down by ESPN, its parent company, on Friday. In the blink of an eye, the go-to place for all things witty, zany, and relevant was no longer producing content. I am, in a word, sad. Grantland was where I caught up with all of my sports coverage. Their NBA writers were second to none, the Hollywood Prospectus never failed to make me laugh, and they pumped out a zillion different podcasts that were tons of fun to listen to.

Most importantly to us, they gave so much to the pantheon of great tennis articles. The two primary providers, Brian Phillips and Louisa Thomas, were brilliant, funny, fair, and lovers of the sport and its history. Whether it was an ode to Venus and Serena or a timeline of rudeness from Judy Murray to Yoko Ono, Phillips and Thomas penned thoughtful words which will live with the tennis community for a long time. Here are some of my personal must-reads:

Novak Djokovic: The Shot and The Confrontation

This is the quintessential Djokovic article regarding the biggest forehand of his career and the events that unfolded very shortly thereafter. Of the four match points Roger Federer lost against Novak at the U.S. Open in 2010 and 2011, the third of those has stung more than any of the others, and is the one of the most memorable shots in recent history. Phillips digs deep into Djokovic's personality and his underwhelming appeal to the average tennis fan. He, more than any other writer, seems to understand what makes Novak tick.

The Pain and Joy of Sloane Stephens and Serena Williams

As a fan of both women and of the Sloane-Serena rivalry as a whole (yes, it is a rivalry), Thomas paints the picture of the second of two matches that ignited the contentious relationship between the two. This article mirrored my feelings at the time: anguish for Serena and exuberance for Sloane. Thomas helped me realize that those two emotions can be experienced simultaneously.

Broken at Love

Probably the funniest article ever posted in the tennis section (with the Grantland Tennis Dictionary coming in a close, yet distinct second), Phillips gives us the highlights of Monica Seles' novel The Academy. If you haven't read the book itself, this piece is the next closest thing. Thanks for saving me a couple of bucks, Brian.

Rembert Explains America: Discovering the Glorious All-Iowa Lawn Tennis Club

As far as random articles go, this one takes the cake. Written not by Phillips or Thomas, but by Rembert Browne, my favorite Grantland contributor, the article takes you to Iowa and Middle America's answer to Wimbledon. Never have I been more enthralled with a four-letter state. Browne is hilarious and observant, exactly what is needed to understand the vibe at the vaunted AILTC. It makes me want to add Iowa to my bucket list of tennis destinations.

--

I implore everyone to go through the archives of these writers on Grantland (note: the site didn't really perfect their tennis archiving until mid-2013, so some of the earlier columns are lost under random tags like "Art" and "College Sports"). This is the type of writing that we won't find Tennis.com or on ESPN's tennis page. Wise, insightful, emotional, hysterical all in one place, mostly from just two authors. It will be sorely missed.

What are some of your favorite pieces from Grantland, tennis or non-tennis? Leave a comment or hit me on Twitter! Both Phillips and Thomas will continue to write and inspire, and I will be sure to read and love their content as usual.

Singa-poor

Long live this photo (via Twitter)

We have finally separated the cream of the crop from the "Elite" (please re-brand and/or cancel Zhuhai next year, Steve Simon) and the WTA Finals field is set with some familiar faces Flavia Pennetta and Lucie Safarova reaching new career heights and a rising breakout star in Garbiñe Muguruza ready to cement her place at the top of the game.

Sadly, the young Spaniard is the only one I'm really looking forward to seeing. The other five singles players have participated in the end-of-year Championships in years past and this may be Pennetta's last ever professional tournament. Safarova is an interesting case as a newbie to this echelon because she has the talent to beat anyone and seems to be hitting a late-career stride. As far as this iteration of Singapore is concerned, however, her mysterious illness may have derailed her chances to be a threat for the title.

So what does Singapore have in store this year? Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Pennetta, and Safarova have taken the spots vacated by Serena Williams, Eugenie Bouchard, Ana Ivanovic, and Caroline Wozniacki. Oof. That is a tremendous decline in star power. Speaking of Serena, what does it mean to win a tournament for which she is not present? Let's be real: Serena is the Queen Bee of the WTA. The tour revolves around her, especially true this season, and the void she's left this fall is bigger than ever. As far as Serena's competitors are concerned, I'm sure they are very happy that she is taking an extended vacation. Still, I can't help but think this tournament will be a non sequitur. It will happen, but it won't signal anything to come in 2016. Even a Garbiñe win would fall between a continuation of her Wuhan-Beijing performance and a career achievement, a confirmation of what we already believed.

What do we think of the WTA Finals this year? Will it be a bang or a bust? Leave a comment or tweet at me! Draw comes out Friday, should be a great opportunity for one of the eight regardless!

Back and Reattached

What's better than being quote-unquote "BACK" in women's tennis? Probably nothing, but having "ARRIVED" comes pretty close. Madison Keys doesn't fall into either of those categories at this point in her career, but she is in a third category, "RISING," one that the WTA loves too so much.

And rising she is, very quickly. After only moving ranking up six spots to no. 31 in 2014, Maddy has busted into the Top 20 after being the third straight 19 year-old to reach the Australian Open semifinals. Her serve and power off the ground is something to behold. When Maddy is on her game, you can't help but smile at the ridiculous winners that come off her racquet. At age 20, she's still got plenty of time to improve on her variety and learn not going for broke at inopportune times, but she's got the attitude and work ethic to build upon a champion-making playstyle. The outcome of matches tends to depend on how Madison plays, something that nearly all previous Slam winners have in common.

Which is why it was so surprising to see Angelique Kerber pull off the comeBACK win in a fantastic Charleston final against Madison, especially given their forms this season. While Maddy was being rightfully crowned the new "Next Big Thing," Angie entered the Family Circle Cup with a losing record in 2015. It seemed like she was rapidly following the Sara Errani trajectory: an outsider who made the most of her talent by winning a shload of matches, but couldn't sustain nor make an impact to against the very elite. Errani's even done Kerber one better by making the French Open final; Kerber has only gotten to two Slam semis (and just two other quarterfinals). 



Still, Angie was able to put her "Duncurrber" tendencies away for a week and play a really great match against Madison. Kerber likely will never be seen as someone who can win a major, but her ability to counterpunch (emphasis on "punch") is among the best and extremely entertaining. The points she and Maddy produced is something that I want to see all the time. The push and pull, the momentum swings, and the shotmaking from both was impressive, and both were playing well. More please, tennis gods.

Now that Kerbz seems to have gotten out of her funk, is she BACK? Only time will tell. Clay isn't usually good for her and winning Charleston doesn't shake that notion for me because the court doesn't play slow or seem very clay-like at all other than the whole sliding thing. But I hope she is. This title hopefully has restored her confidence in getting back to where Madison is heading: towards the upper echelons of the WTA.

(Sidenote: Maddy should totally adopt the "cow on ice" moniker.)

Hawk Eye

Tennis season is upon us! The season's first week is a deluge of matches and an abandonment of a human circadian rhythm, but it's always a fun reawakening to the sport that we love so dearly. Good thing, too, since we should get warmed up for the Australian Open right around the corner. As we become night owls for the next couple of weeks, there are a few players I will pay particularly close attention to in Melbourne:

Victoria Azarenka

The two-time Oz Open champ spent most of her 2014 on the sidelines plagued a variety of injuries and ailments that have derailed her momentum from the previous few seasons. Outside of training, her pre-Melbourne warm up will only consist of her very tough loss to Karolina Pliskova in the first round of Brisbane. 

Per @TennisReporters, Victoria Azarenka wanted but didn't get wildcard into Sydney, where she was 2012 champ. Instead, Gajdosova, Gavrilova.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 9, 2015

Her lack of match fitness has been a key factor in her relatively snail-paced comeback during the grass season and summer hard courts. She'll go into the Happy Slam unseeded, a dangerous opponent for any of the top women to face early on. However, given her results the past 12 months, even a cushiony may not be enough to get her back to her winning ways.

Stan Wawrinka

With another Aircel Chennai Open trophy on his shelf, is Stanimal on his way to failing even better than last year? He's one of the most unpredictable players on tour, capable of beating everybody and losing to...well, nobodies. Fortunately for him, he's in form going into Melbourne, where he's defending his title and 2,000 precious ranking points. A repeat performance can really set himself up for another fantastic season. A first-week flop, however, can be the beginnings of a tailspin.

Agnieszka Radwanska

At last year's Australian Open, the award for Performance of the Tournament went to Aga hands down. But her murder of Vika in the quarters via carbicide only made the semifinal thrashing she received from Dominika Cibulkova more disappointing. The dark cloud of "what could have been" seemed to hang over the ninja's head for the entirety of her 2014 season, compelling me to go on Aga Ranking Watch for 2015. Hopefully her new coach, the legendary Martina Navratilova, has instilled new belief, as well as a new attacking mindset, in her as she goes into Melbourne. She should get a mental boost from her Hopman Cup performance, too, taking the title with partner Jerzy Janowicz (and giving hilarious on court interviews in the process).

Rafael Nadal

A scoreboard rout in an exhibition loss to Andy Murray is one thing, but getting beaten by Michael Berrer in his opening match in Doha is worrisome. The way he lost, winning the first set via breadstick and not being able to finish, was especially disconcerting. He may be a little competition rusty, but Nadal may be the most competitive athlete in any sport, let alone in tennis. Putting Berrer away should be an accomplishable task. Without much match play, Rafa goes into Melbourne a bit undercooked which won't suit him well. However, we'll see if his first round or two can help him round into find his form.

Caroline Wozniacki

Our favorite marathoner is coming into Melbourne with most of the momentum she built in the second half of last season where she surged from the depths of the Top 20 all the way back to No. 8. Caro seems to be a different player, going much bigger on her forehand than she has in the past. Her serve is clicking and her backhand is a legitimate weapon these days. Those boosts in power haven't sacrificed Woz's trademark speed; she'll always be the toughest wall for her opponents to break through. Still, heavy hitters like the Williams sisters, each of whom have afforded Wozniacki's last two defeats, can blast the ball past her, so it's hard for Caro to ever truly have any given match solely in her hands. A more worrying and immediate concern is her now bothersome wrist which forced her to pull out of Sydney (although it can be argued that she shouldn't have played there to begin with). It'll be interesting to see where her confidence is going into the first Slam of the year. Her fitness is renowned and she will be able to stand up against the oppressive heat radiating from the Australian summer sun. She's on the short list of favorites for the title, but if she comes up against a free-swinging floater, she could be sent packing prematurely.

Andy Murray

Official kit for the Australian Open (ausopen.com)

The runt of the Big Four has been making slow, sometimes steady strides back to where he was near the top of the game. While he finished 2014 with a strong record, his performance against his brethren have been much less than stellar, including a season-ending 0 & 1 embarrassment at the hands of Roger Federer in front of his hometown fans. Year 1 of Andy's comeback is now behind him, so it's only fair that expectations return to where they were pre-back surgery. Muzz has historically played well in Melbourne, reaching the finals on three separate occasions. Sadly, his ranking leaves him vulnerable to an undesirable quarterfinal meeting against Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal. A match against any of the Top 3 will be a must-see affair, the outcome of which will set the tone for Andy's 2015 season.

Dangerous floaters: Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Camila Giorgi, CoCo Vandeweghe, Victoria Azarenka, Aleksandra Krunic, Dominic Thiem, Jerzy Janowicz, Nick Kyrgios, Vasek Pospisil, Bernard Tomic, Juan Martin del Potro.

Early champion picks: Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic. See you on the other side, with a pot of coffee, of course.

Late Night Cool: Grigor on Spotify

Hey guys, Love preparing for my matches to Music. Thanks @spotifyjosh http://t.co/jImfUyfVVP
— Grigor Dimitrov (@GrigorDimitrov) April 21, 2014

Aside from watching tennis, two of my bigger passions are singing and listening to music. When these two worlds collide, my head explodes.

Divas galore

KABLAMO! Towards the beginning of his Bucharest title run, Grigor Dimitrov shared with us his Spotify account and a playlist he listens to pre-match. While this particular collection of recent hits was nothing to write home about, there are so many gems below the surface that everyone should know.

There is a playlist titled "Sweet" which contains a song from rapper Eve featuring Alicia Keys called Gangsta Lovin'. Another song, Sexercise, from synth-pop diva Kylie Minogue can be found in another playlist titled "Late Night." Maybe those were meant for Maria Sharapova's ears only.

However, my favorite playlist of his, has to be his "Retro" playlist; it's a place where Grigor and I truly connect given my love for music from the late 80s and 1990s. Here you can find a couple of random Michael Jackson hits, a solid selection of Madonna classics, a semi-obscure Bobby Brown jam, a sensual vocal from Toni Braxton, and the one of the Druest of Dru Hill love anthems.



How would one describe Grisha's music tastes? Well, they are kind of all over the place. According to his playlists, he's a big fan of Drake (ugh...), Kanye West (ughhhh...), and Jay-Z, but also "starred" a recent Selena Gomez release and I constantly catch him listening to Independent Women, Pt. 1 from Destiny's Child. I don't know what to make of these juxtapositions. Sometimes I think he's a closet thug, other times I think he's a closet case. Who really knows.

Regardless, I am 100% in favor of tennis players sharing their Spotify activity. Personally, I can connect to a player's individuality and likes through their music choices and I love that Grigor has given us this medium to get to know him a little better. I implore the rest of the ATP and WTA to do the same. I'll try not to judge you lol jk.

Anarchy of Tennis Professionals

Well, that escalated quickly.

I've sensed this quiet disturbance in the men's tennis force earlier this year. There have been patches of the 2014 season that made you question, is this the year the ATP gives us something new? Even though 'something new' came very quickly with Stan Wawrinka bagging the Australian Open title unexpectedly, it was a common exercise to point to Rafael Nadal's untimely back injury as the reason Stan won. Still, there were little sprinklings of evidence signaling the arrival of new blood and the weakening stranglehold the Big Four had on the rest of the tour.

Tele-Kei-nesis

Funnily enough, it starts with Rafa's Australian Open campaign, where he was subtly pushed by Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov in consecutive rounds. In both of those matches, Rafa couldn't fall back on his B-game to get him through. It made me think that maybe, just maybe, the Next Generation was ready to start making some noise. Maybe the oft-overlooked B-Squad was about to come out of the shadows.

As the season moved forward, the results slowly became more conspicuous. In February, Grigor outlasted Andy in Acapulco when, in the years prior, "Grigor" and "outlast" didn't belong in the same sentence. Milos Raonic turned himself into a ubiquitous presence in the quarterfinals of Masters 1000 tournaments. Kei stunned Roger Federer in Miami and was blitzing Rafa on Madrid clay before coming up lame with a back injury that forced him to retire in the final. Roger lost what looked like sure titles in Monte Carlo and Toronto to Stan and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Even 19 year-old Nick Kyrgios got in on the action with his takedown of Nadal at Wimbledon.

The men's locker room was buzzing about Stan opening doors for them and their increased belief. The impossible was proved to be possible. This U.S. Open is an even bigger feather in the Belief Cap. With just one round to go before the 36th thrilling installment of Fedole, Marin Cilic routined Roger and Kei played the role of Iron Man, having enough willpower to stand the humidity and Novak Djokovic after beating Milos and Stan in two physically, and mentally, draining five-setters. Not since the 2005 Australian Open have we had both Slam finalists come from outside of the Big Four. Either Cilic or Nishikori will become the second first-time Slam winner on the ATP this season. The last year there were multiple first-time winners was 2003.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? In 2003, Agassi won his last Slam in Melbourne before Juan Carlos Ferrero, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick cleaned up the rest, beginning their own periods at the top of the game. 2003 can definitively be classified as a year of upheaval, harbinger of the Fed Era that we are still trying to wade through. Is 2014 the signal of another instantaneous shuffle at the top?

A large fact refuting this new regime is the current cream of the rankings crop compared to that of 2003. A-Rod, Fed, and JCF were the tour's Top 3 back then, a complete changing of the guard. The Top 3 now are Novak, Rafa, and Roger, and they will likely remain in their positions by season's end. The Big 3 still reign in that department. It also doesn't help that two of those three are holding Slam trophies, with the other having made a final and two additional semis.

So there is something strong in the air this year, but expect the same names to still be very relevant in the big picture of 2015 just with these new names in the mix on Sundays. The ATP is still very much the Big Four's world and they will still stand on the majority of podiums, but, as 2014 has shown, nothing lasts forever. It's about time we start to accept the idea of other champions in this sport. One will be forced upon us tonight. Nishikori in four.

What are your thoughts? Is this the first page of "The End of the Big Four" novel? Or is this a fluke? Leave a comment!

WTA Sidebar: you are ridiculous, Serena Williams. Congratulations on 18. And commiserations to Caroline. So glad to see her back near the top where she belong.

(Image from stevegtennis.com)

US Open Series: A Dash for Cash

Solid gold belts are now affordable

The US Open is hurtling towards us, with main draw play beginning just days from now. Final tune-ups are taking place in New Haven and Winston-Salem. Those venues also serve as a last opportunity to accumulate US Open Series points, which give the Top 3 finishers a chance to earn a significant amount of bonus cash-money depending on how well they do in Flushing Meadows. It sounds like a fun way to boost the stakes during the American summer hard courts, but what has it done for tennis exactly?

In terms of its importance, the players don't exactly treat this part of the calendar with any more reverence. It could be argued that they don't care that much at all given how relatively weak some of the fields at the Coupe Rogers, one of the two largest tournaments in the Series, have been over the last few years. There isn't any indication that the Series has been a boon to exposure, either, with ticket sales and television viewership peaking in 2009.

However, with all of this money on the line, wouldn't the players really hunker down and try to win the Series? You would think so, but there is no real correlation to winning the Series and winning the US Open. Out of the 20 winners from 2004-2013, only four have gone on to take the trophy: Kim Clijsters, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams. Of those, one can only argue that performance in the Series spurred on Kim, who had not won a Grand Slam at that point in her career; the other three were on the short list of GOAT candidates in their respective tours at the time of their title runs.

Still, Kim Clijsters' 2005 US Open was spurred by her desire to win a Slam, not by money. Unfortunately for tennis, money remains the primary selling point of the US Open Series, and it is my biggest peeve. You see it all the time on TV, whenever an ESPN crony whips out the Series standings; it never goes without mentioning the associated cash prize. The focus on money was made apparent during last year's trophy ceremonies for Serena and Rafa, both of whom won the 2013 Series. Mary Carrillo went down and presented their trophies, but then handed them a check worth $3.6 million, exuberantly pointing out to the viewers that they have made an extra million bucks for doing the best at their jobs for essentially two tournaments. For someone who might have been sitting in front of his 12-inch TV eating pasta for the umpteenth night in a row, these words can be a bit off-putting, especially considering Serena and Rafa are two of the world's richest athletes.

Yes, these players are trying to earn a paycheck. That's why they chase appearance fees, play exhibitions during their off time, commit to a plethora of sponsor obligations, and tout candy and cheesecake and watches and their Signature Statement collection. But the US Open, one of the four most prestigious tournaments in the world, should not be reduced to a cash grab opportunity. Most of these players want to win the US Open for glory, not for money, so to treat a moment in which one has won a Grand Slam as someone winning the lottery is unfair. Serena and Rafa didn't give everything they had to win the US Open Series just for a chance have some additional change in their pockets.

What do you think of the US Open Series? Totally game or totally lame? Leave a comment and leave a dollar for my troubles. I need every penny.

P.S. I will be on site for US Open qualies on Friday! Tweet at me or come say 'hi' if you're around!

A 'Murrican Tennis Outlook

My sleep/work schedule is rejoicing tennis being back in the States. Matches are so much more fun to watch when they're on primetime television with an adult beverage in hand or well-rested on a relaxing weekend afternoon. On Friday night I watched, with heavy eyelids, Serena Williams battle back to defeat Ana Ivanovic. On Saturday, an ultimately disappointed Donald Young held his own against Milos Raonic.

Besides the Williams sisters, American tennis is going through a long-winded lull. The players are less exciting (we kinda-sorta miss you, A-Rod, but you're doing a bang up job as an analyst) and the number of events on home soil has dwindled and become more scattered, but we'll focus more on the players, or lack thereof. Given Serena's roller coaster ride of a 2014, we're forced to gaze into the crystal ball and see the future landscape of American tennis, and it's exactly what you'd expect to be looking at when confronted with a crystal ball: fog and lots of it.

Really, really sad

To be fair, the Grand Slam prospects on the women's side look pretty decent. Madison Keys has had ups and downs, but has mostly made strides in 2014. Even through her ugly patches (speaking of roller coasters...), Sloane Stephens still has considerable talent that can be honed. Vicky Duval is in the Top 100 (and kicking cancer's ass in the process) and Taylor Townsend has shone brightly on and off of the court. However, the men are a totally different story. John Isner has been lumbering in and largely out of the Top 10, Young is getting his bearings together yet again, and Steve Johnson is only beginning to make a name for himself on the main tour. Jack Sock has seen steady improvement, but Sam Querrey has been...sad.

Among all of the aforementioned names, Big John is the only one that could feasibly win a Slam by 2015. However, Jizzner's game makes any given match a toss-up, and that amounts to a <1% chance of winning seven matches in a single event (yes, I did the math). We also seemingly lack personalities that we can love (or love to hate). Serena and Sloane started to give us some of that last year, but have largely been consumed by their respective on-court woes since. Madison, Vicky, and Taylor are all likable girls, but have yet to show their on-court prowess deep at the biggest stages, leaving them fairly anonymous with casual fans.

All of that said, Serena is still #1, the tournament favorite everywhere she plays, and a household name. Venus is still plugging away and doesn't seem to be hanging it up anytime soon. Taylor is a future star in training. Sloane is Sloane, as she would say, and is still giving us something to talk about, NuvaRings and all. There were seven American boys in the last 16 of Wimbledon's Boy's Championships, two of whom faced off in the final. We may have a bit more fog to wade through, but it can be cleared pretty quickly with some strong results, especially if they can come within the next five weeks on home soil.

Thoughts? Rebuttals? Leave a comment! #MERICA