50 YEARS OF OPEN TENNIS: Crystal Balls and Phrases to Remember
OH-SO-CLEAR CRYSTAL BALLS: Richard Williams predicts his daughters will revolutionize tennis and become No. 1 and No. 2 (and they do in 2002)…In ’82, Billie Jean King says, “You may not believe it, but...
View Article50 YEARS OF OPEN TENNIS: Top 10 Men and Women, and More
TOP TEN MEN 1. Roger Federer: Grace and power, dominance and mind-boggling longevity? Is he best athlete of our era? 2. Rafa Nadal: The ultimate clay meister has a winning record over Fed. 3. Rod...
View ArticleORACLE TENNIS REPORT: Shout and Yell, Here Comes Danielle
BOOSTED BY A $100,000 GRANT, DANIELLE COLLINS SCORED A SPRING SURGE As in life, so in business and sports – you never know how your decisions, your investments and choices will turn out. Translation:...
View ArticleTHE SPIRIT OF ’68
Bill Simons “Amateur tennis,” complained Wimbledon boss Herman David, “has become a living lie.” Prior to the dawning of Open tennis in 1968, the sport was a transparent sham. The game’s stars...
View ArticleVAMOS RAFA!
Does any athlete have more gestures and tweaks than Rafa? Time and again we see his endearing rituals. He obsessively arranges his bottles by his bench. Like Steph Curry, he sprints out when he first...
View ArticleTHE AMAZING DAYS OF SERENA WILLIAMS
A DAY THAT WAS ‘AMAZING, CULTURALLY, INTELLECTUALLY AND SPIRITUALLY’ Billie Jean King creates waves and gets mighty awards. She’s changed our landscape. But no other woman athlete – not even Sharapova...
View ArticlePARIS’ FEEL GOOD FELLOW: LUCKY LOSER TRUNGELLITI WINS BIG
THE BUZZ – OF BERNIE, NOLE, VENUS AND THE COOLEST PERSON IN TENNIS PARIS – Road stories and car tales are part of tennis lore. Players ranging from Venus Williams, Tracy Austin and Tomas Muster to...
View ArticleTHE RG18 BUZZ – Of Bromances, Climate Change and Curious Glass Houses
WEATHER REPORT UPDATE – SASCHA’S STORM ALMOST PETERS OUT: Every weatherman knows it. It comes with the territory. Sometimes you just get it wrong. You have to accept defeat. Maybe a heat wave stalls or...
View ArticlePETKO AND NOLE – THE TWO BEST MINDS ON THE CIRCUIT?
PARIS – A veteran writer of many an American sport was dumbfounded. “I’ve never come across a more interesting athlete,” he told me. The reporter was referring to none other than tennis’ nerd in chief,...
View ArticleOH SERENA! TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF ADVENTURES WITH THE MOST COMPELLING ATHLETE...
OH, SERENA – TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF ADVENTURES WITH THE MOST COMPELLING AND PROVOCATIVE ATHLETE OF OUR GENERATION I first saw her 24 years ago. There was little Serena Williams – just 12, wide-eyed and...
View ArticleIT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
By Michael Mewshaw Money – it makes the world go ‘round. Lack of it can bring the globe to a crashing halt. Yet personal income remains relative, depending on expectation, geography and career choice....
View ArticleRELAX, DON’T PANIC, COPE, DEAL WITH IT, CHILL – The Kamau Murray Interview
An Interview With Sloane Stephens’ Coach Kamau Murray BILL SIMONS PARIS – When Sloane Stephens’ coach Kamau Murray told me he’s been with her for three years, I quipped, “That’s like 85 years for a...
View ArticleSlinging in the Rain – Running With the Bull in Paris
Bill Simons He’s only 5’6”, a full foot shorter than his famous Argentinian countryman Juan Martin del Potro. He’s only reached the quarterfinals of one Grand Slam – the 2017 US Open. But no matter,...
View Article‘TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY’– Royal Rafa Downs a Delightful Commoner
Bill Simons PARIS – Even Kings have off days. Wednesday Rafa wasn’t Rafa. His forehand didn’t pin Diego Schwartzman. His movement was modest. He left his usual (“I’m Rafa and you’re not”) swagger back...
View ArticleOUT OF CLARITY COMES CALM – Cool, Calm and Chicago-Tough Stephens Downs Keys
Bill Simons PARIS – After Sloane Stephens comfortably beat Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4 to reach the French Open final, I asked her coach Kamau Murray if he knew where Sloane was during the French Open final...
View ArticleHEAR THE PARISIAN CRY – ‘See-Mon-a! See-Mon-a!’
I couldn’t believe my ears. In the media bar at the French Open, a reporter quipped, “Yeah, she’s the Buffalo Bills of tennis.” The Bills lost the Super Bowl for four straight years. Super Simona Halep...
View ArticleWIMBLEDON PREVIEW – Splendor On the Grass
The Australian Open is jolly and happy. The French Open is so debonair and continental. And of course the US Open is one loud New York shout. All the while, Wimbledon at its essence is Mother Tennis....
View ArticleEVERT ON KYRGIOS: You Can’t Teach Hunger, Focus and Commitment
Naturally, when Roger Federer skipped the clay court season, he was greatly missed. The ATP without Roger is a like your morning pancakes without the syrup. But the four-and-a-half-month absence of...
View ArticleTHE MAC AND CHRISSIE SHOW – McEnroe and Evert Unplugged
McEnroe and Evert weave a compelling conversational tapestry Bill Simons John McEnroe is an imaginative, net-charging, left-handed New Yorker who’s as brash as Broadway. Chris Evert is a right-handed,...
View ArticleMACKIE MCDONALD – The Man Who Left Piedmont
Bill Simons There’s a sign near Grand Avenue in Oakland. It informs the unfortunate souls who drive by: “You are now leaving Piedmont.” You see, the leafy, old-school enclave of Piedmont, California is...
View Article