‘A DREAM CASE EVERY DAY’– The Frances Tiafoe Journey
Bill Simons Sports do many things. At their best, they lift our spirits and improve our lives. Some 30 years ago, Frances Tiafoe’s mom Alphina was desperately trying to survive a brutal civil war in...
View ArticleA SMALL MAN IN A BIG WORLD – McDonald’s Loving It
Six-foot-five Max Miryni is called “The Beast.” That’s not too pleasant. Feliciano Lopez calls today’s players “monsters.” That’s not nice. But who says sports are supposed to be nice? By tennis...
View ArticleTHE WIMBLEDON BUZZ – Oh, the Seeds They Are a Toppling
Bill Simons AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH: When asked why he didn’t play any pre-Wimbledon warm-up tourneys, Rafa joked, “because if I play too much, then I come here, [and] all the questions are: Why you are...
View ArticleME TOO – Can It Take Hold in Tennis?
By Michael Mewshaw On the first day of Wimbledon, in a major interview for the London Guardian, Judy Murray, mother of Andy and doubles champ Jamie and former coach of the UK Fed Cup team, voiced...
View ArticleTO THE LIGHT OF DAY – NOVAK’S WIMBLEDON JOURNEY
Wimbledon Bill Simons “May it be the shadow’s call Will fly away May it be you journey on To light the day When the night is overcome You may rise to find the sun Believe and you will find your way A...
View ArticleDOCTOR BUZARNESCU PROVIDES A SAN JOSE CURE
Bill Simons When it first began, the super sports agency IMG was lucky. Its very first client, golfer Arnold Palmer, soared to success. Fame, power and a cadre of clients all came IMG’s way. More...
View Article‘RAISING THE GAME’– A HISTORY OF THE USTA
Bill Simons The USTA is everywhere in American tennis. But until now there was no quality, in-depth history of the group that so adeptly shaped the US game. Well, enter former Rutgers professor and...
View ArticleTOP 10 MEN’S COLLEGE TEAMS OF ALL TIME
ORACLE TENNIS REPORT Bill Simons 1. USC, 1962-1964 2. Stanford, 1978 3. UCLA,1971 4. USC, 1967-1968 5. UCLA, 1971 5. Trinity, 1962-1965 6. UCLA, 1965-1966 7. Stanford, 1973-1974 8. Stanford, 1998 9....
View ArticleMY FAVORITE US OPEN MOMENT
JIMMY CONNORS – My Sweetest Win: The US Open has always been my stage and the crowd my people…Walking out under the stadium lights, flashbulbs popping all around…the tingle in my fingertips…That insane...
View ArticleRUSSIAN TENNIS – FROM ANNA KARENINA TO ANNA KOURNIKOVA AND BEYOND
Bill Simons It was a stunning suggestion. Long ago Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, told Chris Evert, “Tennis will bring our peoples together.” Now flash forward to...
View ArticleGUTS AND GLORY: AN HOMAGE TO THE US OPEN
Capturing the Essence of 50 Years of the US Open Bill Simons From the morning’s sleepy moments until the well-lubricated after-midnight hour, the daily rite unfolds. There are just two gladiators,...
View ArticleAN UNSTARCHED HISTORY OF THE TENNIS SHIRT – WRINKLES AND ALL
An Unstarched History of the Tennis Shirt – Wrinkles and All Bill Simons New York You see Andy Murray shirtless walking around the court and you know that Scottish guy with the pale complexion is...
View ArticleUS OPEN: IN THE NICK OF TIME – MOHAMED STEPS IN
Sometimes things are not quite as complicated as they seem. And today, three bedrock, make-no-mistake-about-it tenets of sports and tennis came into play. 1. Games should be decided by athletes, not...
View ArticleSISTER POWER – THE SAGA OF THE WISE, WONDERFUL WILLIAMSES CONTINUES AT THE US...
Bill Simons New York Serena can be giddy, a fun-loving extrovert who loves to be silly while being a reflective, caring mom. Venus is a celebrated icon who has given so much and now has evolved into an...
View ArticleIT TAKES A TENNIS VILLAGE
Bill Simons New York After 63 storied years in New York, the Village Voice newspaper is closing. We imagine that many tennis players who were Manhattan residents (Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, John...
View ArticleUS OPEN: THE NIGHT THE TENNIS GOD FELL FROM THE HEAVENS
Bill Simons New York We know the mantras. “Shhh! genius at work.” Or if you prefer, “Federer-is-Better-er.” The tennis superman can do little wrong. His grace mesmerizes. Among his legions of fans,...
View ArticleTHE KING OF CALM – PETER HERB, 1938-2018
Bill Simons I had a problem. In 1980 I wanted to start a tennis magazine that would work with the USTA NorCal. But the group had partnered a while back with another magazine. It didn’t go well and the...
View ArticleEMBRACE YOUR INNER RAFA
Bill Simons New York “Work with humility and never make do with what you’ve got. Always want more.” ~ Rafael Nadal Sports gives us much – seasons of triumph, championship runs, the inexplicable...
View ArticleTHE SERENA FALLOUT – REFLECTIONS, RACISM AND RAGE
Bill Simons In 37 years of covering tennis, I’ve participated in about 7,000 press conferences. But I’ve never had a more intense, mind-boggling moment than when Serena Williams looked me right in the...
View ArticleCHICAGO PRIMER – As the Laver Cup Begins in Chicago, Here’s a Primer on the...
In his book “Never Come Morning,” Nelson Algren captures the spirit of Chicago, writing, “The great trains howling from track to track all night. The taut and telegraphic murmur of ten thousand city...
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