TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY IN SAUDI ARABIA – AN OPEN LETTER TO NOVAK
Hi Novak, You know me from the many wide-ranging questions I’ve asked you over the years. Recently I showed you a copy of our Wimbledon issue with a picture of you on the cover just as you won...
View ArticleSHOCK: JUSTIN GIMELSTOB ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED ATTACK
Bill Simons So what should we think about the troubling news of the alleged Halloween night attack by the Tennis Channel broadcaster and ATP Board Member Justin Gimelstob? According to reports, Justin...
View ArticleNEWS FLASHES FROM SERENA-VILLE
Bill Simons Melbourne QUESTION OF THE DAY: A listener asked Aussie Open radio, “Since the Australian Open is in the southern hemisphere, does the ball spin in the same direction as in the northern...
View Article“THIS IS PERFECT” – The Bryan Brothers Are Back
“THIS IS PERFECT” – POSSIBLY THE MOST COMPELLING INTERVIEW IN THE HISTORY OF DOUBLES The Bryan Brothers are the best doubles team in history and (sorry, Leander Paes) they give, by far, the best...
View ArticleThe Darling Who Met the Devil – An Osaka Survival Tale
Bill Simons MELBOURNE The darling met the devil. For months, Naomi Osaka has been the game’s prevailing sweetheart. Her combination of whimsical verbal adventures and penetrating power had won her both...
View ArticleFeel The Emotions – The Patrick Mouratoglou Interview
MELBOURNE He’s called Le Coach. Patrick Mouratoglou, who is based in France and is of Greek origin, has a chance to become the coach of both the men’s and women’s Australian Open champions. His...
View ArticleThe Fisherman’s Daughter – Cinderella Danielle Collins
Bill Simons MELBOURNE Danielle Collins is into the performing arts. Acting, the movies, theater – all that appeals to the Floridian. She didn’t win a match at last year’s US Open, but she came away...
View ArticleSerena Shock – The Greatest Collapse in Tennis History?
Bill Simons Melbourne Things were good for the GOAT. The greatest player of all time looked grand. Serena Williams has perfected the fine art of body suits. Troubling memories of the US Open had...
View ArticleThe Dawning of the Age of Tsitsipas?
Bill Simons MELBOURNE THE KANGEROO WHISPERER – A QUOTEBOOK: “I’m a kangaroo whisperer.” Danielle Collins on her takeaway from going to an Aussie zoo “They only want to talk about fashion and I only...
View ArticleThe French Lieutenant’s Slaughter and a Dream Final
A Dream Rafa vs. Novak Australian Open Final Bill Simons Melbourne THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S SLAUGHTER: The prevailing generals of ATP tennis are from Spain, Serbia and Switzerland. In contrast, France...
View ArticleYes, Naomi, Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around
Bill Simons MELBOURNE Tennis finally got it right. In New York at the US Open, a child wonder, an innocent, had won. But what a hollow victory it had been. Everything had gone terribly wrong. An icon...
View Article“You Feel Divine”– Djokovic Wins Australian Open
Bill Simons MELBOURNE The script for the Aussie Open final was simple. The Next Generation stars had huffed and puffed – and they’d again faltered. Fifty-one of the last fifty-six men’s Grand Slams...
View ArticleMAMA MIA – Mothers Serena and Azarenka Push the Limits
Bill Simons Indian Wells Behind the scenes the ATP’s political fights simmered, while on court tonight another battle raged fierce. Yes, in the western sky a whisper of a new moon lingered above the...
View ArticleOld and New, Victory and Defeat and the New and the Religion of Naomi Osaka
Bill Simons Indian Wells CONSTITUTIONALLY CARILLO: When commentating on last night’s Mama Mia instant classic between Serena and Vika Azarenka, Mary Carillo said, “I love this match, I love the loud...
View ArticleTennis and a Man Named Tiger
Bill Simons “Tennis is like a wonderful, long-lasting relationship with a husband. Golf is a tempestuous, lousy lover. It is totally unpredictable, a constant surprise.” – Dinah Shore For three green...
View ArticleAs Paris Burns
DESPITE THE FLAMES WE EMBRACE – A PARIS REFLECTION As Notre Dame burned I recalled the reflections I had 22 months ago on Paris’ Notre-Dame de Boulogne. Bill Simons On middle Sunday at the French Open...
View ArticleSAY IT ISN’T SO – DID GIMELSTOB ALREADY VIOLATE HIS PROBATION?
Bill Simons Goodness, we all have intense Gimelstob fatigue. But just when you thought all was quiet on the Justin front, his case reared up again today. You see, after Justin pleaded “no contest” to a...
View ArticleTHE GENIUS OF FEDERER – WHAT MAKES ROGER, ROGER
Bill Simons PARIS “We are on Earth. He plays on another planet.” —Nicolas Kiefer on Federer Yesterday we spoke of a young genius – Naomi Osaka. Today we had a golden opportunity to see an “old” genius,...
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