Perfect World Doubles Dream Team

 

McEnroe knew what to do when. A lefty with the same grip on all shots, super soft hands, the ability to adapt, make split-second decisions. He might see someone going, and instead of hitting it into the open space, slide it wide. He might let the ball drop and play a half-volley down the line. He might play a chip-lob against a big serve, just lift it over the guy at the net, and change the whole dynamic of the game.

Three Days at the US Open

 

Day One (Sunday-Practice Day)

 

You start in the viewing gallery at the practice courts. You hear him first. He has a distinctive grunt, Andrey Rublev, when he's demolishing forehands. He's a tall, lithe, young, 20, blond Russian, wearing a green Nike shirt, green headband, and green wristband.

 

Andreescu Wins US Open Title

 

On our bus rides, her gaze was pensive as we passed the cemetery crowded with graves. Dreamy as we made the curve to where the stadiums first come into view. We were all dreamy then. And energized. We were alive.

 

I watched her junior matches. She lost in the semifinals.

 

 

Book Review: The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey

 

Next, Phillips watched Doha, which started on the seventh day of 2017. Novak Djokovic, the world No. 2 beat Andy Murray, the world No. 1, in the final. Phillips quotes commentator Simon Reed: “This is what we wanted. The best two players on the planet really laying into each other!” Phillips repeats this quote a few times, like a poem’s refrain. It’s meant to emphasize what is going to happen in this strange year, where Murray and Djokovic both end up losing early in the Australian Open and then disappear and reappear and disappear again, leaving Nadal and Federer at the top of the rankings.

 

WTA Profile: Alison Riske

 

For 29-year-old American Alison Riske, 2019 was a breakthrough year. After being on tour for eleven years, she's now ranked a career high of world No. 18.

 

In July, she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, playing her quick grass-court specialist style beating world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. 

The King of Clay is Off and Running in Monte Carlo

 

Like the Masters of Augusta, with its pristine-green-and-azaleas-in-bloom golf course, the Monte Carlo Masters also has a spectacular backdrop, with its center red-clay tennis court perched between a vertical cliff on one side and the azure waters of the Mediterranean on the other.